Pensacola Beach will get a new infusion of white sand sometime next year during a $17 million renourishment project.

Erosion this year is emphasizing the changing landscape of Pensacola Beach.

Escambia County commissioners OK'd underwriting half the cost for Santa Rosa Island Authority to match a state grant for the other half.

The Island Authority is the lead on the project.

The project calls for restoring 8.1 miles of engineered beach back to its 2001 level with 1 to 1.5 million yards of sands. Much of the sand will be focused on the most eroded portions of the beach at the east end, said W. A "Buck" Lee, Island Authority executive director.

The ares behind Regency Towers and at Park East are some of the most eroded. On rough surf days, waves eat away at the main berm.

Tim Day, the county's environmental programs manager coastal systems, who has overseen past projects, said when the beach was first nourished in 2001 it was built essentially in a rectangle shape.

"With a little weathering it ends up with a traditional bell curve—built up in the middle and the ends trail off on the east and west," he said. "We're designing this to maximize the life of the project."

With this project, Day said west-moving currents will help the sand migrate to the western end of the beach, which is a natural process of a barrier island.

Lee said he expects to have the Army Corp of Engineer permit in hand y the end of the year.

"We are projecting a start date of May 2015," he said. "The project will not interfere with July 4, airshow or any holidays."

He pointed out that renourishment projects pump in tons of sea shells from the offshore underwater sand bars. And noted: "Both locals and tourists enjoy looking for shells when the area they are working on is open to the public."